Aspicilia phaea

Aspicilia phaea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Pertusariales
Family:	Megasporaceae
Genus:	Aspicilia
Species:	A. phaea
Binomial name
	Aspicilia phaea; Owe-Larss. & A.Nordin (2007)

Aspicilia phaea (dusky sunken disk lichen) is a grayish brown to tan areolate crustose lichen commonly found on rock in coastal to inland parts of central and southern California. Described as new to science in 2007,^[1]^: 227^[2] it is endemic to (only found in) California.^[3] It grows on exposed or partially shaded siliceous rock, with a few known occurrences on serpentine rock.^[2]

In rare cases full areolas do not form, and it appears as being cracked (rimose).^[1]^[2] There are often grayish or whitish spots on the areolas.^[2] The thallus is 2–8 cm in diameter, and 0.1– 1.2 mm thick.^[2] The areolas are irregularly sized and angular, giving the lichen body (thallus) the appearance of a mosaic of small polygons.^[1]^[2] A rim of dark tissue (prothallus) may surround the edges of the lichen.^[1]^[2] The fruiting body parts (apothecia) are flat to concave (especially in the thallus center), and slightly immersed in the thallus, appearing as sunken round to polygonal discs, often with a grey or white rim of thalline tissue.^[1]^[2] Lichen spot tests are all negative (K−, C−, KC−, P−).^[1]^[2]

The photobiont is a .^[2] In Joshua Tree National Park, it is commonly found to be infected with Lichenostigma, a genus or lichenicolous fungi (fungi that are parasitic on lichens).^[3]

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-19500-2
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 3, Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bugartz, F., (eds.) 2001, [1]
^ ^a ^b The Lichen Flora of Joshua Tree National Park An Annotated Checklist, Kerry Knudsen, Mitzi Harding, Josh Hoines, National Park Service, [2]

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[SSFGCL-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-19500-2

[LFGSDR-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol 3, Nash, T.H., Ryan, B.D., Gries, C., Bugartz, F., (eds.) 2001, [1]

[KHHLFJTNP-3] The Lichen Flora of Joshua Tree National Park An Annotated Checklist, Kerry Knudsen, Mitzi Harding, Josh Hoines, National Park Service, [2]

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